Coffee & tea

Living in the old town I am surrounded by pubs and cafes catering to tourists looking for traditional Scottish fare. That’s what makes Circus a welcome change to the norm.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what Circus is. It’s promoted as a café and bistro but there is also a beer garden, art shows and sometimes live music.

The same goes for the food. It is owned by the same people that run Empires, a Turkish restaurant slightly further down the street, and there is a definite Turkish/Mediterranean flavour to the menu but they also serve full Scottish breakfasts and burgers. I’ve never been in for dinner but the lunch and breakfast menus are both extensive and tasty. There are also vegan and gluten-free options on the menu.

In the long run though I find it easy to get past working out what kind of place Circus is and enjoy the relaxed, bohemian vibe. The restaurant is bright and airy with tables made from reclaimed wood and bright Turkish lamps hanging from the roof. The walled terrace at the back of the café comes as a bit of a revelation in the middle of the old town but is a great spot to enjoy a drink in the lovely Scottish summer weather (if we ever get some).

Circus is a great place to take a break from exploring the old town any time of the day, just remember your cash – they don’t accept any cards.

Chances are you will come across the name Eteaket during any visit to Edinburgh as their teas are ubiquitous across most tea shops in town; you can’t beat a visit to their own tea room though, to appreciate the full experience.

In the basement of a building just off George Street the café has a bit of a rabbit warren feel with low roofs and alcoves. It’s usually crammed but it is worth any wait you might have.

The tea menu is huge! I never knew there were so many types of tea. All of them are served with a small hourglass to make sure they are steeped for the optimum time – tea is a serious business in Eteaket. My favourites are the flowering teas, the leaves are served in bundles that open and bloom as they infuse.

The mis-matched china cups and saucers add to the ambience, it is a lovely mix of an old-fashioned tea house and a modern boutique.

As well as the traditional afternoon teasm there are also cream teas on the menu and a selection of cakes and sandwiches. There are gluten and/or dairy free options in the cakes and sandwiches and even offer a gluten-free afternoon tea.

The service can be slow and at peak times it can feel like a crammed and rushed experience but it is worth persevering, getting a table and enjoying the full tea experience at a leisurely pace.

Teuchter’s Landing is a pub set in a former waiting room for the steam ferry from Leith to Aberdeen. For those who are not from Scotland, a Teuchter is traditionally a derogatory term for a person from the countryside, usually someone from the North of Scotland. Being a teuchter myself, I can say that any fellow highlanders would feel very welcome in this bar.

The drinks list is exceptional, featuring a lot of the less common beers, one of which is a personal favourite of mine and is brewed in the area where I grew up, Black Isle Blonde.  Along with a normal set menu, the bar also has a very distinct “mug menu” in which it serves food from a mug. The food is mostly Scottish staples, such as haggis (and vegetarian haggis), mac n cheese, and mussels. All of this hearty fare comes with oatcakes too.  The chips are ridiculously thick and incredibly tasty.

There is a big screen at the far end of the bar, and also in the smaller room, which shows sports. The atmosphere is very relaxed and if you’re looking for a bar to watch sports that is less rowdy than someone of the ones in town, then this is a great place to go. 

It also has a beer garden which looks out onto the water, now that summer is (nearly!) here, it would be a great place to visit on a sunny day.

Black Medicine is a chain of coffee shops within Edinburgh (there are now three of them, mostly located very close the Meadows area), that has become very popular for selling a good cup of coffee, fruit smoothies and mouth watering sandwiches, bagels and cakes.

The main shop is based on the corner of Nicholson Street and Drummond Street. It tends to become very busy at the weekends, but the reason for this is that the food and drinks are very reasonably priced, and are absolutely delicious. Due to the location, it is very popular with University of Edinburgh students. Black Medicine is the kind of place I would go on a miserable day for an Americano, a panini, a read of the Guardian, and to hide from the rain.  It may be (kind of!) summer now, but anyone who has lived in Scotland will tell you that it rains all year round here, and a nice cafe is always a welcome break from it,

The smoothies served are my favourites in Edinburgh, they have a menu at the till which varies from time to time, but they are all very tasty. The paninis are thicker than the ones that are served in other coffeehouses, looking sort of like the heels of a loaf of bread. but this results in them being more filling than ones served elsewhere.

The New Town has a lot of cafes popping up at the moment, but this one does seem to be getting a lot of visitors and I’m regularly hearing people recommending it.

Leo’s Beanery is a friendly, stylish basement cafe offering a fantastic selection of mouth-watering cakes and scones which could tempt any palette – especially if you’re on your way home from a trek around the city centre. Their menu also includes a good selection of salads and some heartier sandwiches like the ‘sleeping warrior’ – a smoked lamb sausage sandwich with caramelised onion marmalade.

In addition, they offer some hot meals from 12:00 – 16:00 and have a daily specials’ board with dishes such as quiches and soups and a good selection of top quality coffee. On my last trip there, I had the soy and sesame marinated chicken salad with radish and leaves which was really tasty.

But the main attraction of this cafe is the service – the staff are extremely friendly and relaxed and as I experienced, they are happy for you to sit around after you’ve eaten and make yourself at home.They seem to know the regulars by name and chat away to them like good friends. The place is like a home from home – so much so that the walls are covered in pictures of ‘Leo’s family’ – the grandfather of one of the owners, which gives the place a real personal touch.